In a highly Patriarchal society like Kenya, a woman who is opinionated, strong-willed and outspoken is often by default dogged by controversy.
That is why even though other male counterparts in coast have expressed support for DP William Ruto, Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa’s defiance even when ODM Party threatened her with sanction stands out. Consequently, she is on the lips of many.
“Junet, I am ready for you. Mr Man, you can proceed … I am ready for you,” those were her words, unperturbed at the thought of song the lucrative PSC position.
Fearless, stoic and daring to the core, Raila Odinga once labeled her as Mekatilili wa Menza-reincarnate.
But did you know that it is the same politics that cost her her marriage?
According to reports published in the Standard, She started as a political activist at the Coast, going around, attending political meetings and yelling herself hoarse over what she termed as injustices at the Coast.
Her husband got jittery with each meeting she attended. He finally told her to stop. Jumwa refused, and when he threatened to divorce her, she told him to suit himself.
“He said if I wanted to continue with my life, I should pay him dowry. We went to the sub-chief, made the decision and I paid back the dowry,”.
In fact, word has it that she Personally whipped the dowry cows, all the way to her in-laws.
After the divorce, she went full throttle into politics and was elected Kilifi Woman Representative. During campaigns, she wowed crowds through song, dance, poems, and punchy speeches delivered in flawless Swahili.
She knew what the crowd wanted, and she added melodrama to sway them at the ballot box. When Malindi went to the by-election in 2016, Jumwa delivered victory for ODM and knocked the daylights off the men who wanted to rock her boat. Her past is said to have predisposed her to relentless fight.
Born in a polygamous family with about 30 siblings, Jumwa had a childhood fraught with poverty. She dropped out in Form Two, and admits that she returned to school as an adult after doing manual jobs.
Those who went to school with her say she is an opportunist who seeks the slightest crack and wiggles in to gain relevance. She knows how the cards work, the ones to place on the table, and when to bare them all, especially in seeking political mileage.
